


Soaring

by ArcherDansLaLune



Category: Shin Sekai Yori | From the New World
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Canon Bisexual Character, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Childhood Sweethearts, Cute, F/F, First Dates, Fluff, Lesbian Character, Maria is a lesbian, and Saki is bisexual like in the series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 11:28:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17765948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcherDansLaLune/pseuds/ArcherDansLaLune
Summary: Maria asks Saki on a date, clearly with a plan in mind. What could it be?





	Soaring

**Author's Note:**

> This is pure fluff that I wrote in order to cheer myself up and motivate myself to write happy things. I hope you enjoy it. I have not watched the show in ages so feel free to tell me if there is any inaccuracy.

The song of the cicadas and the gentleness of the light, fresh summer breeze fill the classroom alongside with the sun’s ever present warmth. Saki lets those sensations overflow her, filling her with calmness and taking all of her stress away; the final exams are over, and now she does not have to worry about them again until next year. The voice of the teacher and the soft sound of chalk against the class board are nothing more than background sound to her, her thoughts taking precedence to all those tedious explanations about things she already has studied during this semester. She stretches her arms over her head like a cat, giving a moment of relief to her tense muscles before setting her attention on something far more worthwhile than lectures she has already heard.

Maria, unlike her, seems very interested in the teacher’s soporiferous explanation, her eyes half lidded and drinking in every detail written on the chalkboard. Saki can’t help but smile: she looks beautiful when she’s deep in thought, like the smart and perfect student she is, with her ocean-like gaze examining every detail around her and her mouth in a half frown while her brain puts all the pieces together way faster than everyone else. She is the kind to analyze everything over and over again and see things that nobody had thought about before, a genius. Since the first time she laid eyes on her during the first day of primary school, Saki had always known that her girlfriend was someone exceptional whose talents surpassed her peers by far.

She still could not believe her luck: she was not above average in any way except for her bravery, and she still got the love of such an amazing woman all for herself. Her kisses, her lovely nothings, her caresses... Saki feels a wave of sudden heat rush through her skin when she remembers those moments she spent with Maria, first on the beach and then many other times over at her house, kissing and nibbling and touching white skin, discovering sensations and pleasures she never had imagined could exist, or be so intense. Just thinking about it makes her want to touch her again, to feel her tremble and gasp and moan in her arms.

Maria chooses that exact moment to notice her, giving her a sweet smile and winking in her direction, and Saki’s heart jumps so wildly that she starts to breathe embarrassingly loud while her face gets even redder.

“Control your hormones, Saki.” She thinks to herself, putting a hand over her chest. “You’re in class; it is not the moment to think about those things.” It’s something easier said than done, though; every time her mind wanders, it cannot help but return to Maria.

She looks outside the window, searching for something to distract her: summer birds are chirping loudly while they fly around the trees, and the little kids from Harmony School are playing outside, blessed with more free time than them, the poor students of Sage Academy. Saki sighs, if only she had wings to fly away from class! That would be a dream come true.

***

After the class ends, Maria comes to her seat and taps her on the shoulder, which catches her by surprise. She must have half-dozed off at some point.

“Saki!” She calls her, pulling her into one of her warm hugs. “I was wondering if you are free tomorrow?” Saki thinks about it while she hugs her back; tomorrow the weekend starts, and she did not have any plans in particular.

“I am, why?” She asks her, still half asleep. “Do you want to go somewhere?”

“Yes, I do!” She answers, clasping her hands together. “I was thinking we could have a date, the whole day for us. Since I have a surprise planned for the evening, you could plan something for the morning.” She tells her, nudging her playfully. “I am sure that my plans will not disappoint you.”

“Sounds good, but a little unfair; you had all these days to plan while I only have an afternoon!” She complains, crossing her arms in mock indignation. Maria laughs and gives her an affectionate peck on the cheek.

“Don’t worry, babe. I trust you and I am sure you will come up with something great.” She says, clearly failing to realize how hard it can be to plan something remotely worth calling a “surprise” in a tiny and uneventful village like Kamisu 66, at least for normal humans like Saki. It’s not as if she can do something fancy with her powers or something like that, so her options are way more limited.

“I will try my best, but don’t expect too much.” Saki answers at last before yawning and drying her eyes with the back of her hand.

“Okay, it’s a date then!” Maria seems way more enthusiastic than usual, but before Saki can ask more questions, she kisses her on her lips and goes towards the class’s doors. “I have some things to take care of, see you tomorrow my dear!” and just like that she is gone, while Saki is left blinking in confusion about what has just happened. Weren’t they supposed to walk home together like they always do? Oh, well. She obviously can’t go with Shun and Satoru, since she would feel like a third wheel and Mamoru... No, no way she is walking home with only Mamoru as company, not while he keeps having a one-sided crush on Maria. It would be way too awkward.

Looking at the bright side of things, she can use that extra alone time to plan for her surprise as well. She grabs her backpack and goes around town, walking past fields, houses and stores while trying to think about what Maria likes to do. She knows that she likes nature and tranquillity, history lessons, flowers, swimming, boat races and vanilla ice cream. As Saki approaches the pier, kneels in front of the river and her fingers touch the water’s surface, an idea emerges in her mind: she remembers something that lovers used to do during her parent’s times, something that was considered very romantic and that involves all the things that Maria loves. She smiles, satisfied with herself; she will make sure that it will be a date that Maria will never forget.

***

Maria sneezes while she is trying her new dress in front of her room’s mirror.

“I hope this is not a summer cold.” She says to herself, while she adjusts the straps of her dress. It is a simple but beautiful piece of clothing: It consists of two layers, a white linen one that goes from the base of her neck to past her knees and is largely hidden under the outer one, a beautiful mint-colored cloth that has spaghetti straps and a v-shape cut from her collarbone to the middle of her chest, revealing part of the inner layer underneath. She is planning to pair it with a couple of practical, flat brown sandals and a simple straw hat to prevent her face from getting sunburnt, something that her pale complexion is prone to do in the summer. She really prefers to spare herself the pain of having her skin red and peeling the day after.

 She ties her hair up in a bun, leaving two long strands of hair in each side to frame her face; she likes how she looks, and from her experience she knows that Saki will probably like it as well. Maria smiles with confidence at her reflection; everything is going according to her plan. After how much she practiced for this day, there is no way anything can go wrong. She wonders if Saki is suspecting something, since she was staring so intently at her during class; maybe she saw the slight trace of the bags that had appeared under her eyes, product from her sleep-deprived nights in which she was practicing for her surprise in hopes to sweep Saki off her feet. But there is no way that she can anticipate what will happen tomorrow afternoon. Maria herself still thinks that it’s a little crazy, and when she first started to try it she felt tempted to call it quits a couple of times, deeming it something beyond her reach. But despite the occasional negativity she had not given up, and now she had come way farther than she had expected in the first place.

After changing back into her pyjamas, she let her body fall inside her bed and threw a blanket over herself, prepared to have long a nap before dinner time; she really needed all the extra sleep she could get if she wanted everything to turn out well.

***

The line of Maria’s house beeps more than three times before somebody answers. This is most unusual; normally Maria always answers after the third beep.

\- Hello? – Greets the voice of a woman much older than Maria. – Oh, is it Saki? – She says almost instantly, as if she had read her mind. Saki stutters for a second before answering, surprised that Maria’s mother knew straight away.

\- Yes, - She tells her after a pause. – How did you know? – She asks, genuinely curious. Maria’s mother laugh is soft and warm, much like her daughter’s.

\- You girls are always calling each other. – It is true, but it is also the first time that any of her parents says something about their relationship, so when Saki laughs along she cannot prevent some nervousness from seeping into her voice. She likes Maria’s parents, but she does not know if they consider their relationship a passing thing of youth or a true one that would last for, hopefully, forever. She wishes it is the latter.

\- Could I speak with Maria, please? – She asks, eager to hear her girlfriend’s voice.

\- I will go check if she’s awake, darling. She came home looking like a zombie, mumbling something about how she would go to sleep early because of... –

\- Mum! – Maria’s voice interrupts from far away. – Is it Saki? – Her mother must have nodded, because next thing she knows Maria is the one on the phone.

\- Babe! – She greets, with the kind of sweet voice that she only uses to talk to Saki. – How are you? –

\- Your mother said you were asleep. – She answers while blinking in surprise.

\- I have a sixth sense for when my girlfriend needs me. – Jokes the redhead. – So what did you want to talk about? –

\- Eh, yeah, actually I wanted to talk about tomorrow. – Saki is not adamant on giving her surprise away, but she really has to ask that if she wants it to work. – Could you bring a swimsuit for the date? – The other end of the line became silent for a moment.

\- Sorry to disappoint you, but no. My period came today. – Maria said, obviously not feeling very happy about that fact. – Lucky thing you have asked me! Sorry if that ruined your plans. –

\- Oh, no! Not in the slightest. I mean, it won’t be that much of a problem. – She promised. – See you tomorrow by your house at ten! – She says before hanging up.

***

After yesterday’s call, Maria was admittedly curious: she had spent all the day thinking about her own surprise, but she had not given much of a thought to what Saki herself might do. Things only seemed to be turning more interesting by the minute.

She is so excited that she ends up being ready by half nine, much to her mother’s amusement.

\- Somebody’s impatient. – She says, still sleepy while she waits for the water of her coffee to boil. – If only your dad woke up so early to take me to places. Saki is such a lucky girl! –

\- Well, actually she is the one taking me somewhere this morning. – Maria answers, putting her straw hat on. She goes to the fridge, deciding to get something more for breakfast apart from her rice and egg. She grabs an apple and chocolate yoghurt before sitting down in front of her mother. – Do you think Saki will like how I look? – Her mother smiles softly before answering her.

\- Of course she will, you look beautiful. – Maria feels giddy when she imagines Saki looking at her with mesmerized eyes, impressed upon seeing how she has dressed for their date. Her heart keeps pounding out of her chest, and by ten she is already waiting around the front door, pacing between it and her room to make sure that she has not forgotten anything.

When Saki rings at last, she rushes to it, trying to look casual while she opens it with a studied calmness.

\- Hi Saki! – She says enthusiastically before looking at the sight before her. Saki is panting and red-faced, no doubt from running to her house, and her brown hair is in a messy ponytail that goes down to her shoulders. A beige backpack hangs from her shoulders, and she is wearing blue overalls that end mid-thigh, a baggy yellow t-shirt underneath and white and red trainers, and she is so cute that Maria swears she could explode.

\- Sorry for being five minutes late, Maria. – She is able to explain at last. – Guess who overslept like an idiot! – She laughs, poking fun at herself. – But I will make up for it, I promise. – She says, caressing Maria’s face before leaning in for a kiss. Her lips are hot and soft like a summer breeze, and Maria immediately finds herself craving a second one; she can feel her own face heating up when their mouths part to catch breath.

\- I have been wondering all night what your surprise is. – Maria says, tilting her head. – Will you show me now? –

\- Not so fast, I would like to keep the mystery for a while. I will bring you somewhere now, but my surprise will come after. – She grabs her hand, smiling at her with confidence and enthusiasm. – Let’s go! –

After that they go all the way walking until they reach the shopping area of Kamisu 66. The place is usually full of people during Saturday afternoon, but by morning it is a different story; some people are buying stuff here and there, but the place is mostly deserted. Maria follows Saki to a store that she had never seen before; once they are close to it she can see that it kind of looks like an ice cream place, but it is slightly different from the ones she had seen before.

\- Oh, I had never seen this place before. – She says, looking at the array of colours and labels that are all over the counter. They look creamier than the usual ice creams they have, the kakigori.

\- These are different ice creams than usual, I saw this place yesterday and I decided to check it out. They taste good and are exotic, so I thought you might enjoy it. – She tells her while she tries to decide a flavour to have. They end up buying a vanilla and chocolate one and a hazelnut and cherry one; the woman at the counter prepares them in no time and handles them to Saki with a smile.

\- Enjoy! – She wishes them before they go out of the store.

Maria is puzzled as to why they did not give them any spoons to have it with, but when she looks at Saki, she sees her biting into it, so she decides to do the same.

\- It’s so tasty! – She says before voraciously biting into it again. – And it tastes the same everywhere. – She loved the kakigori, but sometimes the syrup did not get to certain parts of it and the flavour was not the same in all of it.

\- I know, right? – Saki agrees, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. – I love it. –

\- So now you will show me your surprise? – Maria asks, not letting the matter go. She is a patient person, but right now curiosity is killing her.

\- Maybe. – Is all that Saki says before winking at her and grabbing her hand again, this time taking her down the side of the river until they reach the pier. Once there, she practically engulfs her ice cream before going to untie one of the ropes that tie a long, wooden boat to the shore. Her deft hands work quickly, and once she finishes she tells Maria to hop inside.

Maria tentatively steps inside the boat, her hand never leaving Saki’s while she sits down and gets used to the wobbly feeling of the river under her feet. She is still adapting to it when Saki steps down to join her.

\- This is harder than I remembered. – She laughs while she reaches for the oars at each side of the boat. Maria is about to do the same, but Saki shakes her head. – Get comfortable, love. – She tells her with warm smile. She starts to row down the river, going past the houses, the trees and the most populated areas of Kamisu 66. The sun starts to get higher in the sky, and the heat makes Maria glad that she bought her hat with her; she can already feel sweat tickling down the back of her dress. Luckily the waters are calm and easy navigable, and even Saki is enjoying the occasional fresh breeze while she is rowing.

\- You will make me swoon. – Says Maria while she looks at her girlfriend, so determined to take her to her surprise. – Didn’t couples go on boat trips when our parents were young? –

\- Ah, you caught me. – Saki answers, half-jokingly. – That’s where I got the idea. Well, not only from there, but you will see the rest of my surprise soon enough, it will not be long until we arrive. – She then proceeded to keep rowing, clearly not going to say another word about her plans.

Going further down the river, at the outskirts of the village, are the ruins of an old and big house that time has forgotten. It is a beautiful place, even in ruins: its red and white stone walls have survived the flooding, unlike its wood and paper ones, and the part of the black ceiling that has not crumbled is still covering the broken floors of the structure. Maria never expected it to be there; she heard that sometimes the river swallowed part of the land, but not to the point to inundate an entire house. As they approach the structure she glances over at Saki, and in the moment she sees her smile she know this is her surprise.

\- I thought you might be interested in this. – She says, obviously eager for her approval. – You love history, and I thought that you might love this as well, since it is part of the past of our village. And it also looks like a cool place to swim, doesn’t it? – She smiles, before putting her backpack on the boat’s floor and taking off her t-shirt, revealing a navy swimsuit underneath. Maria can’t stop her heart from skipping a beat when she sees Saki take off her clothes; not that the brunette seems to realize the effect she has on her.

Once their boat goes into the house the shadows of the structure start to loom over them, protecting them from the harsh sunlight. Maria is grateful for the unexpected and refreshing cold that the shadows bring, and her fingers start to play with the surface of the water while her eyes scan the interior of the house; there is furniture that has survived, along with some vases and house essentials. All the other things have been either scavenged or dragged away by the current. That makes the place look half alive and half dead; a ghost, the spectre of what it once was, but one too persistent to completely leave this world. Maria wonders if this is how her house will end as well, buried and forgotten by everyone, even if she tried her best during her life. She is afraid to die, to simply dissolve into the earth like no part of her has ever existed.

Saki removes her overalls and, careful to not make the boat capsize, jumps into the water. Her strokes have the same mix of strength and gracefulness that they have when she walks on land, and she really looks like she is in her element here, just like when she was rowing their boat. Maria can’t help but smile when she sees the energy she puts into everything she does.

\- Saki, - She calls her softly, trying to not sound too worried. – Do you think we will end up like this? – Saki looked at her, puzzled, before she explained herself better. – I don’t want our house to end up in ruins. I want it to be well cared for; I want everyone to remember us, along with my love for you. – Saki smiles, approaching the boat until she can touch her girlfriend’s face. Her hand is wet, but still warm and reassuring.

\- You should not be afraid of that, Maria. Why does it matter if the rest of the world remembers us or not? I love you and you love me, and if we never forget that, it will be enough for us, right? – She tells her, before caressing her hair tenderly. – I only care about the people I love remembering me. – Maria smiles at her girlfriend’s soothing touch. She know that she is right, what matters is the people around her remembering her, and no one else. But even then, some sadness still lingers within her; she keeps wishing to be remembered, to be able to inspire other people with her life and the love she feels for her girlfriend. Saki probably can perceive it, and she immediately puts her hand away and dives into the water, the river swallowing her whole. Maria, without understanding what just happened, leans on the water so much that she almost makes the boat capsize.

\- Saki! – She calls, fearing that the other girl will get away from her like a mermaid. She can see her swimming down to the house, around the furniture, around everything that’s left there. She puts her hand through a space between two wooden cabinets that she can’t see, and after some effort she seems to grab something. After that she swims to the surface, with a cheerful smile on her face.

\- Open your hands and close your eyes. – Maria raises an eyebrow at her, but then again it is Saki, so she trusts her and closes her eyes while putting her hands forward. She feels something light and cold touch her hand, and when she opens her eyes she has a metal hairpin on her hands. It is made from silver, with blue jewels and crystals drawing a sea wave-like pattern across it.

\- It is very beautiful, right? – Saki says, obviously happy with her discovery. – I never thought I would find something like that here, but after all, it is true that you can find treasures in the most unexpected places. Now, thanks to this hairpin, you will always remember this house, and as long as we do that it will truly never be forgotten, right? – Maria looked at her girlfriend’s happy grin, and her eyes filled with gratitude. She felt a true change of heart had just happened within her; Saki had showed her what she meant with words and actions, and now she realizes that if somebody wants to remember her, they would surely find a way to do it. She is never going to completely disappear as long as she leaves something behind.

\- Thank you, Saki. – She says, hugging her girlfriend closely. – I love you so much that I don’t have enough words to show it. – Saki’s cheeks get hotter when she hears those words, but she seems nervous for some reason.

\- Hey Maria! Be careful! The boat will... – Before she finishes her sentence the boat does, indeed, capsize.

***

They have been resting on the pier for some time now, exhausted after having to retrieve their belongings from the currents along with the wooden boat, which was now tied to one of the posts once their adventure down the river had finished. Saki had dried what she could off her clothes and Maria’s with her cantus, but her hair is still wet, so she is trying to dry it off by squeezing it. Maria, being the one that had longer hair, has to have the towel: it is just a logical courtesy, since Saki can manage without one thanks to her shorter ponytail.

\- That was fun. – Laughs Maria, still with the hairpin on her hand. She has not let go of it even for a second. – Your surprise really impressed me. –

\- I am glad to hear it, just could have done without the whole “capsizing the boat” part. – Saki teases, jokingly elbowing Maria.

\- Well, let’s hope that my surprise won’t end up like that! – The redhead said, laughing again.

\- Talking about that, it is about you show me, isn’t it? – Saki insists, looking at the sun going down the sky. – It has been the afternoon for a while now. –

\- Okay, I will show you if you follow me. – Maria answers, getting on her feet and tying her hair into a bun again while casting a mysterious look in Saki’s direction. Both girls walk among the fields of Kamisu 66, going far away from the centre of the village. The terrain is far from flat here: hills and slopes fill the area, all covered in lush summer grass and scattered trees. The sun is already going down when they climb to the top of the highest hill they can find, feeling invigorated after the effort and admiring the sight below; their village is beautiful in the sunset. Red and orange hues dye the whole world, from the roof of the biggest house to the figure of the smallest person working in the fields. They take their shoes off, letting the grass blades tickle their feet while they sit down on the ground to catch their breath. A part of Saki wants to look back, but she resists the urge to do so; she knows that the sacred rope that separates their world from the wilderness of the uncertain is not far away, and that if she concentrates too much on that she will end up obsessing over it and ruining Maria’s surprise. She concentrates on the sight in front of her instead: everyone working on the fields is already preparing to go home after a day of work well done. They are a majority of young women and men, older students who want to have some extra income at home, who are orphans or who want to just start working already instead of studying all day long. Some elders are there as well, but they usually work during the week, as well as the adults, since they prefer to have the weekends to relax and be at home with their loved ones. While she is thinking about that, Maria gets up and holds out her hands towards Saki.

\- We have to hurry before it gets too dark. – She says, helping Saki get to her feet. Her hand is warm and her face is alight with excitement and anticipation as if the best part of the surprise is about to come. – hold me tight, Saki. – She tells her with a smile, kissing her softly on the lips. That kiss is as light as a feather’s touch, and yet it fills Saki with a bittersweet longing; she never wants Maria to go away from her side, and she hopes against hope that they will never have to separate. She wraps her arms around her, feeling her warm skin and her strands of red hair against her cheek. – Do you trust me? – Asks Maria, her cantus starting to lift her hair. It is the first part of her that always starts to fly before she starts to soar over her head like a comet. Saki looks over Maria´s shoulder: the hill they are on has a rather abrupt edge, almost like a cliff but not quite. If by any chance they were to fall down it they could end up hurt but not dead, since the tall grass and soft land underneath would cushion the impact.

\- I think I know what you’re about to do, and yes, I trust you. – Says Saki, feeling the excitement on her own voice. Maria wraps Saki in her arms and turns around, walking until she is at the edge of the hill. She then steps forward, and both her and Saki fly up instead of falling down. Saki’s eyes widen and her mouth opens in surprise. She guessed what the surprise was before it happened, but even then she has never felt anything like this before. She feels free and weightless, and even if she is afraid to move too much in case Maria’s cantus can’t bear it, she still feels an amazing feeling, a rush of adrenaline washing all over her.  

\- Woah! This is... – She exclaims, excited beyond what she has ever felt, and looks over their village again. They are floating over it, over the fields and houses and shops, over the heads of everyone they know, and their bodies are completely dyed by the fiery colours of the sunset, almost as if they are part of it. Every detail of the sky feels special: the clouds, the sun, the sounds of the birds and the scent of chlorophyll and ripe summer fruits. It feels as if they have left their everyday world behind to go into another one full of wonder and devoid of any worries that plague their normal lives. Maria’s hair flies wild against the wind and frames Saki’s vision field, and she looks at her lover’s face to see her smiling with happiness and admiration towards her.

\- I am happy you like your surprise, Saki. – Maria says, hugging her tightly. – Don’t be afraid, I have practiced a lot for this. I would never let you suffer any harm. – She reassures, kissing Saki in her forehead. – You’re the most precious girl in the world to me. – She looks into Saki’s eyes, and the brunette can feel her heart pounding wildly and her stomach doing backflips while she leans in for a kiss. This one is more passionate, and while at first Saki is still a little afraid to fall, she feels so happy and excited that she forgets all about it.

\- I love you, Maria. – She tells her after they break the kiss to breathe. – Could we do this more often? – She asks her with a chuckle.

\- Of course. – Maria answers. – But don’t make me overwork myself now, okay? – She teases her.

And both lovers keep soaring until night falls and they must go back to land.

**Author's Note:**

> I doubted about including the “Maria’s skin goes red like a tomato under the sun and she has her period so she can’t swim” type of bits, but in the end I decided that I prefer to include things like these in my writing. One thing I usually don’t like about fluff is the feeling of artificiality, of “nothing bad can happen, no matter how small”. I understand that some people don’t want little bad things happening in their fanfic, but I like to write these things in because I like the realism they give to the text. Bad and annoying things happen in life after all, and I am not one to sugar-coat things.  
> This is also way longer than I planned to, it just ended up taking a life of its own, and being way deeper than I expected as well. The part about the house in ruins and Maria’s reflection upon that? I don’t even know how this ended up here when I just wanted to write fluffy fluffiness, but it made sense to leave it on the text. I guess that dialogue came to mind when I remembered how much Maria had wanted children, enough to leave the love of her life behind to be with someone she did not really love, but who could provide her with a child regardless. This is how I interpret their stories anyways: Maria never really seemed to love Mamoru in the anime (I won’t get into the manga because the manga depicts Saki and Maria’s relationship in such a gross, porny and male-fantasy way that I prefer to not even consider it exists) and when she apologized to Saki about going away and wanting children, she did not sound like “oh yeah, I fell in love with him, sorry", it was something more like “I loved you deeply and I wish I could have stayed with you forever, but I wanted to be a mother and our society does not have options to be one for people like us”. If you agree/disagree, you can let me know in the comments, I love respectful debate :D  
> Thanks for reading! If you liked it let me know in the comments, I might write more about them.


End file.
